A child and a crew member have survived a plane crash that killed at least 27 people in South Sudan, officials say.
The Russian-built Antonov cargo plane crashed shortly after take-off and impacted a farming community on a small island in the White Nile river.
Presidential spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the plane may have had about 20 people on board, including crew and 10 to 15 passengers, while an unknown number were killed on the ground as the Antonov plane crashed near where some fishermen were working.
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A crew member and a child on board survived the crash, Mr Ateny said.
Earlier reports had the death toll as high as 41, however, Mr Ateny said the number was still being confirmed.
Local radio reports said the plane had crashed just 800 metres from the Juba International Airport runway.
Shortly after taking off from the airport, the plane came down on the banks of the river, leaving a tail fin and lumps of fuselage strewn in vegetation close to the water.
The main fuselage of the plane ploughed into thick woodland, with debris scattered around the riverbank in a wide area.
Witnesses at the scene reported police were pulling the bodies of men, women and children out of the wreckage of the cargo plane.
Cargo planes to remote parts of South Sudan often carry passengers as well as goods.
Rescue workers, including Red Cross members, were searching the area for more bodies.
– with agencies
Live News
